Cut lilies

Cut lilies

Whether you grow your own or purchase them,  lilies make great cut flowers to use in a vase or floral arrangements.

When cutting fresh lilies from your garden to enjoy indoors,  leave 1/2 to 2/3 of the stem of the plant so it will not harm the plant for future bloom.
Care
For maximum enjoyment, cut them early in the morning,  when they
are just about to open. Use a sharp knife or shears for a clean cut. Remove lower leaves that may be underwater and place your cut flowers in tepid water with floral preservative.
When the buds start to open,  remove the anthers (male part of the plant with the yellow pollen). This will lenghten the life span of the flowers and avoid petal stain.
Take care not to get pollen on your clothes as it will also stain. If you do, brush it off with a dry paper towel, that should remove most of  it.
Store your lilies in a cool room away from direct sun, cold drafts and heating vents.
Tight budsIf the buds are tight and you need opened flowers, here’s something you can do to coax them to open.
Recut the stems and place them in lukewarm water with cut flower food. Warmer water will open them faster.   Another trick is to place a plastic bag over the whole bucket of stems to increase the humidity and temperature. The cut lilies should start to open in a day or so. Keep the bucket away from direct sun until you remove the plastic cover. When the buds start to open, remove the pollen from the stamens. This will prolong freshness and avoid any pollen stains. 
If the buds don’t open, they may have been damaged from poor storage such as ethylene gas exposure. If the lilies start to open too fast, place them in a cooler environment away from light.
Optimally, cut lily* stems should last 7-14 days.  Individual flowers last 4-7 days.
*depends on variety

2011 July ... Results

So, what do you think?  The soil left by the removal of the huge Spruce tree was not conducive to a good garden. I just followed the guidelines available in my ebook.  Next year will be exciting as the soil gets rid of the detriments, gravel, or whatever that was under that beautiful Spruce tree. I really miss the tree but this small garden is another attractive addition to my lot...so the neighbors say.

The rhubarb is even better than last year. Maybe you know or maybe not but adding a handful of strawberries into the pot when you prepare the rhubarb, along with a little honey, really creates an awesome desert. I love the tart taste so I don't add much honey.

The beans are delicious when prepared with a little margarine or butter.
Maybe next year the asparagus will satisfy. We used to pick a lot of wild asparagus in our apple orchards. It was always fat. Mom would just remove the upper part, breaking it off just where it became crisp and would easily snap when bent. I know it takes at least three years to become a quality plant. Have to learn to be patient.
Barrymor

2011 May -- New Season

A beautiful and precious site !  50 year old trees ... but planted in the wrong place ... under the power lines.  So when the branches started to hinder the power lines and trimming was no longer practical, my Spruce Tree at 60 feet tall, had to be cut down.

Not all is lost. I decided to create a garden. A much larger task than expected.
The first thing was to remove the massive stump ... a stump grinder did that , leaving roots meandering all over the place, just under the surface of the soil.
Then finding out that the land developer had used huge amounts of gravel to fill the undulating ground was a bit disconcerting.

As you see in the photo I decided to frame in the garden area with about 300 patio bricks. This is what was really satisfying. Creating something of artistic pleasure with practical ideas just simply gives one some Soul Satisfaction. Fortunately the bricks were a gift from the next door neighbor.

It will take a little time to arrive at a satisfactory soil mix over the complete plot. So, here is the excellent time to use my eBook  There is so much very useful information in this almost 100 page manual. Everything from when to plant, to what to plant...how to test the soil and how to make the soil correct for good growth.
My Rhubarb is an indicator of how well this Gardener Guide works. So far this year I have had 4 great feeds from this wonderful plant. I reminisce.  Back to my new garden.

First thing was to establish a good watering system as we live in a near desert area.
Then wait patiently for the soil to warm up so the seeds will germinate properly. My bean seeds, after some good soaking over night, came up quickly and proudly but I was too early with the corn.
The excitement that always happens is when one finds something unexpected jump out of the soil. Some wonderful forest ferns found their way into the garden. Came from the other flower garden that you may have noticed in an earlier blog post.
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